Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
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| Photo by Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION:
Walkup, Crystal. Sarracenia purpurea. 1991. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/sarpur/all.html [].
Revisions: Photo added and infrataxa names updated on 06 February 2017.
ABBREVIATION:
SARPUR
SYNONYMS:
Sarracenia heterophylla Eaton, northern purple pitcherplant
Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea forma heterophylla (Eaton) Fern., northern purple pitcherplant
Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea Wherry, northern purple pitcherplant
Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa Raf., southern purple pitcherplant [22]
NRCS PLANT CODE:
SAPU4
SAPUM
SAPUP6
SAPUV
COMMON NAMES:
purple pitcherplant
flytrap
sidesaddle plant
Huntsman's cup
frog's britches
mountain purple pitcherplant
northern purple pitcherplant
southern purple pitcherplant
TAXONOMY:
The currently accepted scientific name for purple pitcherplant is Sarracenia
purpurea L. Recognized varieties are [25]:
Sarracenia purpurea var. montana D.E. Schnell & Determann, mountain purple pitcherplant
Sarracenia purpurea var. purpurea, northern purple pitcherplant
Sarracenia purpurea var. venosa (Raf.) Fernald, southern purple pitcherplant
Natural hybrids normally occur in disturbed areas, indicating hybrid
viability may be positively correlated with soil disturbance. Naturally occurring
hybrids are [9,18]:
Sarracenia purpurea X Sarracenia alata = Sarracenia exornata
Sarraceni. purpurea X Sarracenia flava = Sarracenia catesbaei
Sarracenia purpurea X Sarracenia leucophylla = Sarracenia. mitchelliana
Sarracenia purpurea X Sarracenia minor = Sarracenia swaniana
Sarracenia purpurea X Sarracenia rubra = Sarracenia chelsonii
LIFE FORM:
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status
OTHER STATUS:
Sarracenia purpurea is listed as endangered in Georgia, Illinois, and Michigan [11,24].
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Purple pitcherplant occurs from Florida to Mississippi, north to Virginia and
Maryland, west to Iowa and north to Manitoba, Hudson Bay, and Labrador
[18]. Its range extends as far west as northeastern British Columbia
[21]. Populations are scattered throughout Georgia and southern South
Carolina but become more abundant from northern South Carolina to
Virginia and Maryland [18]. The break between the northern and southern
varieites occurs in central New Jersey [16].
ECOSYSTEMS:
FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES11 Spruce - fir
FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES41 Wet grasslands
STATES:
AL CT DE FL GA IL IN IA ME MD
MA MI MN MS NH NJ NY NC OH PA
RI SC VT VA WV WI AB BC MB NB
NF NS ON PE PQ SK
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
NO-ENTRY
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:
K079 Palmetto prairie
K093 Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
K094 Conifer bog
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
K111 Oak - hickory pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
K114 Pocosin
SAF COVER TYPES:
5 Balsam fir
12 Black spruce
13 Black spruce - tamarack
37 Northern white cedar
38 Tamarack
70 Longleaf pine
75 Shortleaf pine
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
84 Slash pine
97 Atlantic white-cedar
98 Pond pine
101 Baldcypress
103 Water tupelo - swamp tupelo
104 Sweetbay - swamp tupelo - redbay
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES:
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES:
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:
Purple pitcherplants, although carnivorous, are also beneficial to several
insect species. Ants, wasps, bees, butterflies, and moths are attracted
to purple pitcherplant by its nectar. Beetles and spiders visit the plants to
prey on other insects. Spiders may spin a web inside the pitcher to
catch insects which fall inside [16]. Some flies live in the pitchers,
feeding on decomposing insects [9]. The larvae of a small, nonbiting
mosquito live only in the liquid held by purple pitcherplant. Unlike most
insects, these larvae are neither killed nor digested in the pitcher
fluid [9,26].
Purple pitcherplant obtains prey species that are quite different from that of
other Sarracenia species. A large number of grasshoppers, crickets, and
snails are captured. Microhabitat segregation exists among
Sarracenica species in the same bog and may influence the types of prey
obtained [9].
PALATABILITY:
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE:
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE:
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:
Runoff from road-salt storage piles into an adjacent bog killed several
native bog species, which allowed the invasion of cattails (Typha
latifolia) and weedy annuals. Several bog species, including
purple pitcherplant, were successfully transplanted to damaged areas using
"living mats" from unimpacted areas of the bog. Component species of
the mats included Sphagnum mosses, small cranberry (Vaccinium
oxycoccos), purple pitcherplant, narrow-leaf sundew (Drosera intermedia), and
leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata augustifolia) [27].
OTHER USES AND VALUES:
The unique beauty and unusual mode of life of purple pitcherplants make them
desirable as houseplants [8].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
The larvae of several moth species feed on or burrow in purple pitcherplant,
sometimes infesting large areas and severely damaging the population
[26].
Collection of wild purple pitcherplants for sale has resulted in localized
extinction in some areas. A number of dealers currently specialize in
cultivating carnivorous plants, but collecting is still a problem, since
it is less costly [8].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Purple pitcherplant is a native, perennial, carnivorous forb. The evergreen
leaves are modified into pitchers and arranged in a rosette [23]. The
pitchers are curved and decumbent, measuring to 17.7 inches (45 cm) and
widening prominently toward the mouth. The hood on the pitcher is
positioned vertically, resulting in the pitcher usually being full or
partly full of rainwater [13]. Leaf color varies from bright
yellow-green to dark purple and is most commonly a middle variation with
strong red venation. Flower petals, sepals, and bracts are rose pink to
dark red [22]. Flowers are solitary, and terminate a scape arising from
the rhizome. At anthesis the scape is recurved near the apex. The
fruit is a capsule with laterally winged seeds [18].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM:
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES:
Reproduction is typically by seeds but may also occur by fragmentation
of the rhizomes [9,18]. Bees are the main pollinators. Though normally
polytropic, during the peak of Sarracenia flowering, the bees are
effectively monotropic, visiting only Sarracenia species, at least where
there are large stands of flowers [9]. Bare ground is vital for
seedling establishment [12].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS:
Purple pitcherplant characteristically occurs in bogs, savannas, and
flatwoods. The very wettest parts of bogs are favored, often
restricting the species to the edges of bogs [18]. Purple pitcherplant forms
dense, floating mats on the water at the edges of bog ponds and lakes
and across acid streams [9,12,22]. Along the Gulf Coast Sarracenia
species are often associated with Sphagnum, sundew (Drosera sp.),
butterwort (Pinguicula sp.), pipewort (Eriocaulon sp.), bladderwort
(Utricularia sp.), grass-pink (Calopogon sp.), burmannia (Burmannia
sp.), and other genera characteristic of acid sites [18].
Purple pitcherplant is adapted to poor soils that are deficient in trace
elements such as molybdenum. These elements may be obtained from the
captured insects and amphibians [19]. Soils are usually highly acidic
and unsuitable for many other plants. Purple pitcherplant, however, does not
require acidic soils for growth, and it occasionally occurs in alkaline
marl bogs around the Great Lakes [22,23]. Both ombrotrophic and
minerotrophic peat sites are occupied [3].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:
Plant succession on purple pitcherplant bogs is toward a sedge-woody species
dominated community. Fire, however, retards this succession and
purple pitcherplant bogs are thought to be fire disclimaxes [6].
Purple pitcherplant is successional to sphagnum in the bogs of Isle Royale,
Michigan [4].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Purple pitcherplant begins flowering along the Gulf Coast in early to
mid-March. Farther north, blooming occurs from late July to early
August [18]. The leaves, or pitchers, are produced each year from stems
arising from the rhizomes and remain evergreen unless unduly exposed
[22]. Individual rhizomes may live for 20 to 30 years [18].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:
Fire is beneficial to purple pitcherplant in many ways. Periodic, moderate
fires are necessary to reduce the encroachment of competing plants and
stimulate growth by releasing nutrients bound up in organic matter [8].
Purple pitcherplant survives fire by resprouting from underground rhizomes.
FIRE REGIMES:
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY:
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:
Purple pitcherplant is usually top-killed by fire. Severe fires may burn into
the peat layer and destroy the rhizomes, thereby killing the plant
[18,22].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT:
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:
Purple pitcherplant resprouts from underground rhizomes following fire. It is
well adapted to moderate fire in the South [18,22].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE:
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
Moth larvae infestations may be controlled by burning the previous
year's purple pitcherplant litter. Highly infested stands are frequently
those protected from fire [22]. Fire suppression also leads to less
frequent, severe fires which damage species normally considered to be
fire tolerant. Fire is a natural event in carnivorous plant habitats,
and this must be considered when managing these areas [8].
The season that fire occurs in may influence the floristic composition
of purple pitcherplant bogs. Historically, summer fires were frequent,
probably occurring as a result of lightning. At present, most fires are
caused by man and occur during the winter. Data on the effects of this
shift are lacking; however, winter fires would seem less effective in
opening space for seed germination of bog species [9].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Sarracenia purpurea
REFERENCES:
1. Adams, R. M.; Smith, G. W. 1977. An S.E.M. survey of the five
carnivorous pitcher plant genera. American Journal of Botany. 64(3):
265-272. [12302]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
3. Boelter, Don H.; Verry, Elon S. 1977. Peatland and water in the northern
Lake States. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-31. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of
Agrciculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station.
22 p. [8168]
4. Cooper, William S. 1913. The climax forest of Isle Royale, Lake
Superior, and its development. III. Botanical Gazette. 55(3): 189-235.
[11539]
5. Dill, Norman H.; Tucker, Arthur O.; Seyfried, Nancy E.; Naczi, Robert F.
C. 1987. Atlantic white cedar on the Delmarva Peninsula. In: Laderman,
Aimlee D., ed. Atlantic white cedar wetlands. [Place of publication
unknown]: Westview Press: 41-51. [15874]
6. Eleuterius, L. N.; Jones, S. B., Jr. 1969. A floristic and ecological
study of pitcher plant bogs in south Mississippi. Rhodora. 71: 29-34.
[12333]
7. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
8. Folkerts, George W. 1977. Endangered and threatened carnivorous plants
of North America. In: Prance, G. T.; Elias, T. S. ed, eds. Extinction is
forever. Threatened and endangered species of plants in the Americas and
their significance today and in t; 1976 May 11-13; New York. [Place of
publication unknown]. [Publisher unknown]. 301-313. [12388]
9. Folkerts, George W. 1982. The Gulf Coast pitcher plant bogs. American
Scientist. 70: 260-267. [10131]
10. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
11. Hardin, E. Dennis; White, Deborah L. 1989. Rare vascular plant taxa
associated with wiregrass (Aristida stricta) in the southeastern United
States. Natural Areas Journal. 9(4): 234-245. [12034]
12. Joel, Daniel M. 1988. Mimicry and mutalism in carnivorous pitcher plants
(Sarraceniaceae, Nepenthaceae, Cephalotaceae, Bromdiaceae). Biological
Journal of the Linnean Society. 35(2): 185-197. [12303]
13. Jones, F. M. 1921. Pitcher plants and their moths. Natural History. 21:
296-316. [12301]
14. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
15. Laderman, Aimlee D.; Golet, Francis C.; Sorrie, Bruce A.; Woolsey, Henry
L. 1987. Atlantic white cedar in the glaciated Northeast. In: Laderman,
Aimlee D., ed. Atlantic white cedar wetlands. [Place of publication
unknown]: Westview Press: 19-34. [15872]
16. Lloyd, F. E. 1942. The carnivorous plants. Waltham, MA: Chronica
Botanica Company. 352 p. [12247]
17. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
18. McDaniel, Sidney. 1971. The genus Sarracenia (Sarraceniaceae). Bulletin
of the Tall Timbers Research Station. 9: 1-36. [15245]
19. Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 1985. Croatan National Forest, North Carolina.
Natural History. 94(6): 33-34. [9931]
20. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
21. Robinson, James T. 1981. sarracenia purpurea L. forma heterophylla
(Eaton) Fernald: new to Connecticut. Rhodora. 83: 156-157. [16173]
22. Schnell, Donald E. 1976. Carnivorous plants of the United States and
Canada. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair. 125 p. [12292]
23. Slack, Adrian. 1979. Carnivorous plants. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
240 p. [12293]
24. Taft, John B.; Solecki, Mary Kay. 1990. Vascular flora of the wetland
and prairie communities of Gavin Bog and Prairie Nature Preserve, Lake
County, Illinois. Rhodora. 92(871): 142-165. [14522]
25. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2017. PLANTS Database,
[Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
(Producer). Available: https://plants.usda.gov/. [34262]
26. Voss, Edward G. 1985. Michigan flora. Part II. Dicots
(Saururaceae--Cornaceae). Bull. 59. Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook
Institute of Science; Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Herbarium.
724 p. [11472]
27. Wilcox, Douglas A.; Ray, Gary. 1989. Using "living mat" transplants to
restore a salt-impacted bog (Indiana). Restoration and Management Notes.
7(1): 39. [8063]
28. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
FEIS Home Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/sarpur/all.html
